Use up your ripe bananas to make rich and fudgy vegan peanut butter banana cookies. Healthy and just 4 simple ingredients, they're perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Ready in just 15 minutes!
This cookie recipe is a new favorite of mine. By adding cocoa powder to mashed bananas, peanut butter (and a splash of vanilla extract), you get soft and chewy cookies that are subtly sweet, rich, and nutty.
And because they are naturally sweetened (no added sugar), they are kid-friendly and a great satisfying breakfast option.
These dairy-free and gluten-free/flourless cookies have 4 simple ingredients, and they're ready to eat in just 15 minutes. So, if you are short on time and are in need of a healthy and delicious snack/dessert/breakfast, these cookies are for you!
Jump to:
⭐️ Why These Cookies Are The Best
Tasty - If you are a peanut butter and banana fan like I am, you are going to love this recipe. The cookies are slightly sweet, salty, nutty, fudgy, and so addictive!
Healthy - Whether you eat these cookies for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack, you can feel good about eating them. They contain no added sugar, are flourless, gluten-free, and are full of vitamins & minerals, like in my healthy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.
Quick & Easy - I don't think cookies can get any easier to make than this recipe! Just mix the ingredients in a bowl and bake for 10 minutes. Easy-peasy!
🍌 Ingredient Notes
- Bananas - We want to use ripe bananas for this recipe. If you have extra ripe bananas to use, try my Oat Milk Smoothie!
- Peanut butter - This recipe calls for all-natural peanut butter, but use whatever you have on hand.
- Cocoa powder - Adds rich chocolaty taste without any extra calories or sugar.
- Vanilla extract - All baked goods need vanilla extract for flavor!
- Flaky sea salt (optional) - Adding this is totally optional. I like desserts that have a sweet and salty element.
🥥 Variations and Substitutions
- Dried cranberries. Mix in a few spoonfuls of dried cranberries for added sweetness and chewy texture.
- Add ½ teaspoon of your favorite spice. Cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice would be delicious in these cookies.
- Chocolate chips. Add ¼ cup of chocolate chips for more chocolatey flavor and crunch.
- Coconut flakes. Mix in ¼ cup of toasted coconut flakes for a tropical twist.
- Old-fashioned oats. Add ½ cup of old-fashioned oats for a heartier and more substantial cookie.
- For peanut allergies: Substitute almond butter or cashew butter.
- For sweeter cookies: Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey.
- Make nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter or tahini in place of the peanut butter.
🥄 How To Make Them
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place mashed bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add peanut butter, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated.
Using a medium-sized cookie scoop or large spoon, place cookie dough onto lined baking sheet. Press down slightly on cookies using a fork or back of spoon. Sprinkle cookies with flaky sea salt (if using).
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or stored in freezer.
⏲ Expert Tips
- Flatten before baking. These cookies don't spread during baking, so be sure to flatten them beforehand.
- Store your cookies in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: After cookies are completely cooled, place your baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, allowing cookies to harden. Remove cookies from the freezer and transfer them to a freezer bag. Your cookies can be stored in for up to 3 months in the freezer. And because these are soft cookies, they are delicious directly from the freezer!
- Chill. Although you can eat your cookies shortly after taking them out of the oven, I prefer to eat them after they have chilled in the refrigerator for several hours. The cookies develop a thick, fudgy texture that I love!
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
The more ripe your bananas are, the sweeter they are. Therefore, you can decide how sweet you want your cookies to be. Generally speaking, lightly speckled bananas are ripe enough and will work great. If you have bananas that are still underripe, you can add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to your cookies.
This recipe calls for all-natural peanut butter that is unsweetened. However, if you do choose to use sweetened peanut butter (that contains sugar), I would recommend only using 2 bananas so the cookies do not become overly sweet (unless you want really sweet cookies).
They do not contain eggs, since eggs come from chickens. In this recipe, both peanut butter and mashed bananas act as binding ingredients to take the place of eggs.
This vegan cookie recipe will remain fresh in the refrigerator for 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
🍪 Related Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup all-natural peanut butter, no sugar added
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place mashed bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add peanut butter, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop or large spoon, place cookie batter onto lined baking sheet. Press down slightly on cookies using a fork or back of spoon. Sprinkle cookies with flaky sea salt (if using).
- Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool completely. Can be refrigerated up to 4 days or stored in freezer.
Notes
- These cookies don't spread during baking, so be sure to flatten them beforehand.
- Store your cookies in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: After cookies are completely cooled, place your baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, allowing cookies to harden. Remove cookies from the freezer and transfer them to a freezer bag. Your cookies can be stored in for up to 3 months in the freezer. And because these are soft cookies, they are delicious directly from the freezer!
- Chill. Although you can eat the cookies shortly after taking them out of the oven, I prefer to eat them after they have chilled in the refrigerator for several hours. They develop a thick, fudgy texture that I love.
Sandhya
Now, this is so delicious. I can indulge in the fudge cookies guilt-free.
Gastronotherapy
You definitely can Sandhya!
veenaazmanov
Love the combination of Peanut Butter. This Fudge is perfect for all my sweet tooth cravings. I have to make my batch.
Gastronotherapy
Yes! Let me know how they turn out!
Anjali
I love how healthy these cookies are!! We made a huge batch and used them as a "treat" for my kids' school lunches this whole week! They thought they were getting dessert, and I felt good about what I was giving them - win win!
Gastronotherapy
Fantastic, Anjali!! It really is a win-win for parents!
Biana
These cookies look so yummy! I love that they are made from just a few healthy ingredients.
Gastronotherapy
Thanks, Biana! They are almost TOO good!